Some Like It Scot by Donna Kauffman Page A

Not a husband.
    â€œI’m so sorry, Blaine. I can’t marry you.” She held her breath, her pulse drumming so loudly she couldn’t tell if she’d really said that out loud, or just imagined she had. Again.
    He frowned, and looked confused, which meant she’d finally gone and done it. Oh my God . She tensed—froze really—but there was no going back. No taking it back. Even if she wanted to—which, of course, she didn’t. She just had to figure out how to survive the next five seconds without having a heart attack or stroking out.
    She kept her gaze pinned on Blaine and only Blaine, carefully keeping even so much as a glimpse of anyone else—especially the anyone elses presently crowding the front pews of the church—out of her range of vision. Just Blaine. Other than her grandfather, he’d been the only safe haven she’d ever had, the one port in the storm that was a constant in both their lives. The one person she could always trust, who would always be steady. Rock steady. Only she’d just cast herself off that steady rock, hadn’t she? And her grandfather was gone. She was out to sea, with no port…and a very big storm brewing that was only moments from crashing over her.
    â€œI’m am sorry,” she whispered, never meaning the words more. “I can’t. We can’t. You know that, right?”
    â€œI don’t know anything of the sort. Katie, what’s going on? Who is that guy?”
    She had no answer for that, of course. Other than his name, she had no idea who he was. A lunatic, clearly.
    And a port. If she dared.
    But didn’t leaping from steady rock to utter madness make her the lunatic? Clearly. Though who could blame her? Other than every member of her family, and Blaine’s. Yet, given what she’d had to contend with, was it any surprise, she was having some kind of psychotic breakdown? It wasn’t that farfetched—was it?—she’d finally hit her breaking point on her wedding day, standing in front of the pastor, God, and every single important person in her life, his life…and most importantly, because it was always most important, her parents’ lives? Surely that was the case. What else could explain the fact that she was teetering on the brink of ruining the rest of her life…and possibly that of the only man she’d ever really loved.
    â€œYou know I adore you, Blaine. But we—I—can’t do this.”
    â€œWe don’t have a choice,” he whispered furiously and his grip grew surprisingly firm.
    â€œHave you been working out?” she asked, shocked by his display of strength. “Did you finally call that personal trainer I told you about? Because, that’s a pretty impressive—”
    â€œ Katie ,” he said, shaking her. “What in the hell has gotten into you?”
    She was losing it. Rapidly. Stop blabbering . Focus .
    â€œYou know we shouldn’t marry each other. I mean, we’re supposed to, destined to since birth, blah blah blah. But we really can’t. It’s too much. Too far.”
    â€œWe’ve talked about that,” he ground out. “Endlessly. And we agreed—”
    â€œYou agreed,” she corrected. “And I…was too afraid to go against you. Or, more to the point, them.” She twitched her veiled head in the direction of the front pew. She could hear their guests getting restless, the murmuring growing. Time was running out. “I just want to be happy. You should want to be happy.”
    â€œKatie, we’ll make it work. We always do. No one else could possibly understand what it’s like for me—for us. You’re the only one I can trust. Could ever trust.”
    She’d never seen him look so intense, so…well, virile. It was kind of hot, actually. Only she knew better than to let that affect her. Way better. “I’m not the only one,” she said,